Top Ten Films Of The 1980s

As I explained in my previous "top ten" list, the best films of 1990, I have no such "top ten" lists for the individual years of the 1980s. So instead I thought it would be interesting to write a "ten best" list of the decade and the decades that preceded it.

Such a task is hard. I have already made a list of the best films of the 90s and was disappointed because of all the titles I left off. Going over ten years of movies and limiting a list to ten films you are bound to leave some films off a list. This list will be no exception.

Cinematically speaking, the 1980s was a disappointing decade. The bold, fresh, independent spirit which emerged in the 1970s (possibly the last great decade for films) disappeared in the 1980s. Why? Did the conservative environment of the Reagan years constrict filmmakers? It didn't seem to stop them in the 70s under the Nixon administration with their anti-war films.

The 1980s saw the beginning of America's dominance in film markets around the world. If American cinema of the 1960s and 70s had an independent spirit, the 80s like everything else in Reagan's America, saw corporations taking control of the movies. Movies were big business. It shouldn't go unnoticed that cinema didn't start to produce great films until the 90s, after the Republican Party left the White House. A mere coincidence?

And it is not that there weren't great artists around. Still making films were Ingmar Bergman (though he "retired" in 1983), Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Stanley Kubrick, Bernardo Bertolucci, Akira Kurosawa and Federico Fellini. You'll see their films on this list but the decade seemed to lack the intensity of the previous one. Films of the 70s had more of an edge to them. They were making films about something, films with a conscience. Cinema in the 80s played it safe.

Of all the lists I have made and will make, this is the most awkward for me. I was a child of the 80s, but I know the movies I liked as a kid weren't really examples of great cinema. Oh sure, I could list the movies for you that others my age would celebrate for nostalgia's sake: "Ghostbusters", "Ghostbusters 2", "Batman", "Back to the Future", "Beetlejuice", "The Goonies", "E.T.", "Raiders of the Lost Arc", "Rambo", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "The Empire Strikes Back", heck some may even say "Howard the Duck". None of these movies will make my list. They may very well represent the popular consensus, however, this list will appeal to cinephiles. 

Among the cinephiles, this list is going to upset some. Such a list always will. People will tell me how could I leave such and such film off of my list? Why did I pick the ones I did? The answer to both is simple. I picked the films I did because I like them. As for why certain ones got left off, it could be a variety of reasons. For one, I limited myself to ten. I can tell you this, more than ten films were made in the decade. Another explanation is, as awful as this my sound, I simply may have forgotten some titles. I tried my best to think of all the meaningful films I've seen. Films that touched me, made me think about society and the world around me, and of course films that simply entertained me. It doesn't matter to me if the film is a popular choice or not. Some of the titles on this list are not what you're going to expect. I purposely left some titles off. I'll reveal a spoiler. Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" is not on my list. I know, I know, it is generally thought of as the best film of the decade. It is a very good movie, but I never felt it was Scorsese's best. It has become cliche to put it on every list dealing with the films of the 80s. I wanted to avoid it. This, I am sure, will upset some. But that is the nature of such a list. To provoke. To start a debate. In order to put one title on a list, you must leave off another. It is tough to choose.

As I did in my list of the best films of the 1990s, I am going to list the films here alphabetically. Following the list will be a collection of runner's up. The list is not perfect but it reflects films that are meaningful to me.

Here we go!

1. BLUE VELVET (1986, Dir. David Lynch; U.S.) - The first David Lynch film I saw was "Mulholland Dr." It was an unusual experience for me. I enjoyed the film a lot but had honestly never seen a film like that. "Blue Velvet" is often seen as his best film, so I immediately decided to see it after "Drive". It was just as entertaining to me. A weird visual nightmare. One of Lynch's most stylish films. It was nominated for one Oscar, Lynch as "Best Director".

2. CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS (1989, Dir. Woody Allen; U.S.) - I wasn't quite sure which Allen film to pick. "Hannah & Her Sisters" or this one. Both are great and for a while I thought about making it a tie. But "Crimes & Misdemeanors" strikes me as a bit more mature. Allen is able to express his views on society a bit better here. I think he would find a much better metaphor in "Match Point", which deals with very similar issues, but "Crimes & Misdemeanors" is still very entertaining. Allen usually does a great job with these "novels on film". He always finds a good way to blend comedy and drama. The film was nominated for three Oscars including "Director", "Screenplay" and Martin Landau for "Best Supporting Actor".

3. FANNY & ALEXANDER (1983, Dir. Ingmar Bergman; Sweden) - It was suppose to be Bergman's last film, and most people wrongly believe it was his last released directorial effort. Actually he had a film that released the following year, "After the Rehearsal", which many people seem to have forgotten. Regardless, you can tell Bergman meant for this epic to be his farewell. Its opening moments, at a Christmas dinner, are among the most joyous you will find on film. It has those dark elements we associate with the master, but the film has a more positive attitude towards family than most other Bergman films. The cast consists of Bergman regulars such as Erland Josephson, Harriat Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstraud and Pernilla August. Originally a five hour Swedish television mini-series, it was released in America as a three hour film. The film has been put on DVD and includes both versions. Watch the five hour one instead.

The film was nominated for six Oscars and won four including one for "Best Foreign Language Film".

4. FULL METAL JACKET (1987, Dir. Stanley Kubrick; U.S.) - "Full Metal Jacket" is a war film about ideas. It is not the battle scenes that matter most when watching this picture, instead what is most important is the psychological implications war has on the soldier. The film is about the slow destruction of a man's mind. The Marines, in the case of this movie, reduce a man to nothing. They strip him of all emotion. All humanity. They turn innocent men into killing machines. The film is fiercely anti-war and stands as one of the greatest Vietnam anti-war films of all-time in a class with Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" and Oliver Stone's "Platoon".

5. THE LAST EMPEROR (1987, Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci; China / U.K.) - The great Italian filmmaker, Bernardo Bertolucci, stepped away from his homeland and turned his eye towards China. The late 80s and early 90s saw Chinese culture find its way into American theaters. Much of this had to do with the country's shifting politics and American corporations and studios doing business with them. The epic story of the country's last emperor (the title kind of gives it away) was one of the decade's truly great epics. It was the winner of all nine Academy Awards it was nominated for. This is Bertolucci's best film, only behind "The Conformist".

6. THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988, Dir. Martin Scorsese; U.S.) - A film misunderstood by many and seen by even less. I chose this Scorsese film over "Raging Bull" for a reason. People should see it. The film has been the subject of so much controversy that people who never saw the film damn it. I think the movie actually has a positive message. This is not just a film where Jesus marries Mary Magdalene. Pay attention to the film's title. I don't think Scorsese would damn the church. It is widely known he thought about becoming a priest and is a man of faith. "The Last Temptation of Christ" is not a perfect film (why the heck did Harvey Keitel play Judas?) but it is a deep, powerful, moving film. It is not an anti-religion film. Please give the film a chance.

7. MEPHISTO (1981, Dir. Istvan Szabo; Hungary) - The most acclaimed film by the great Hungarian filmmaker Istvan Szabo. In fact, sometimes it is the only film critics will give Szabo credit for. It is actually a clever retelling of Faust, about an actor who sells his soul not to the devil but the Nazis in order to achieve great fame as a stage actor. The film, believe it or not, is actually somewhat auto-biographical. After the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 Szabo stood in Communist Hungary and worked as a spy. Here is a film which asked some very hard questions about achieving the "greater good". What will men do for fame and what difference can an artist make in this world?

The film is the only Hungarian language film to ever win an Oscar. It was part of Szabo's trilogy with actor Klaus Maria Brandauer, of tragic figures in historical times. The other entries were "Colonel Redl" and "Hanussen". "Mephisto" was nominated for a Palme d'or at the Cannes Film Festival and won the National Board of Review award for "Best Foreign Language" film.

8. MON ONCLE D' AMERIQUE (1980, Dir. Alain Resnais; France) - Sadly not as well remembered as it should be. Honestly, how many conversations have you had about this movie? But I think this is Resnais best film, which is saying a lot when you consider this is the man who made "Last Year at Marienbad", "Hiroshima, mon amour" and "The War is Over".

The film is about human nature. Is it predictable? How does one explain it? It also deals with the theme of life imitating art and the influence cinema has on us. Gerard Depardieu, Nicole Garcia and Roger Pierre are the three main characters whose lives intertwine. For the serious subject matter, the film is actually joyous and carefree.

9. PLATOON (1986, Dir. Oliver Stone; U.S.) -  Vietnam was a popular topic in the 80s. Two of the greatest anti-war films made were released in the decade (see "Full Metal Jacket" above). Oliver Stone's semi-autobiographical film on his experiences during the Vietnam war is gritty and powerful but never preachy. This marked the beginning of his war trilogy and the other entries are just as powerful. Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen co-star in this "Best Picture" Oscar winner which was nominated for a total of eight awards and won four of them.  

10. RAIN MAN (1988, Dir. Barry Levinson; U.S.) - Might be considered too conventional for film snobs but it is a really entertaining film about two lost brothers coming together. It is funny and insightful and gives us one of Dustin Hoffman's best known performances, he also won an Oscar for it. It may not challenge us the way "Mephisto" or "The Last Temptation of Christ" does, but it is worth seeing if only for the chemistry and the performances given by Tom Cruise and Hoffman. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won four.

RUNNER'S UP! (In Alphabetical Order)

AFTER THE REHEARSAL (1984, Dir. Ingmar Bergman; Sweden)

BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989, Dir. Oliver Stone; U.S.)

GANDHI (1982, Dir. Richard Attenborough; U.K.)

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986, Dir. Woody Allen; U.S.)

JEAN DE FLORETTE / MANON OF THE SPRING (1987, Dir. Claude Berri; France)

MY DINNER WITH ANDRE (1981, Dir. Louis Malle; U.S.)

RAGING BULL (1980, Dir. Martin Scorsese, U.S.)

RAN (1985, Dir. Akira Kurosawa; Japan)

THE SACRIFICE (1986, Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky; Sweden)

THE VERDICT (1982, Dir. Sidney Lumet; U.S.)